wympel

Middle English

Alternative forms

• wimpel, wympyll, wimpil, wymple, wympil, wimpul, wynpul, wymppylle, wympulle, wympylle

Etymology

Inherited from Old English wimpel, winpel, from Proto-Germanic *wimpilaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwimpəl/

Noun

wympel (plural wymples)

1. A wimple; a female headcovering, especially (but not only) worn by nuns.
   • a. 1394, Geoffrey Chaucer, “General Prologue”, in The Canterbury Tales‎^[1], lines 151–152:

     Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was / Hir nose tretys, hir eyen greye as glas […]

     Her wimple was folded in quite a seemly way / Her nose [was] slender; her eyes [were] grey like glass […]

2. (rare) A veil used to cover the box which communion wafers are stored in.
3. (rare) A coloured region of feathers on a bird of prey's head.

Related terms

• wimplen

Descendants

• English: wimple
• Scots: wympill

References

• “wimple, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-11-19.